Sorry for not posting yesterday's update - as soon as we reached the hotel we crashed, and before we knew it, it was morning. Plus we were hoping we'd show the girls first-hand how to write a blog post but that never happened, so here it is!
It feels like we've been here for months, if not years! We know the roads and sights to and from the school and the girls' greetings every single morning makes us feel at home in the classroom - we take our shoes off at the door, say hi to everyone, drop our gear, grab a booklet and start explaining today's lesson. The lessons change everyday, but what doesn't change is the girls' drive and motivation to put everything aside and just listen to us as we explained a new set of tools for them to explore.
Let's start from Day 4, Wednesday, 18th May.
Today's class revolved around the "Research" category in which Google, Wikipedia, Biography.com, How Stuff Works and Book Boon were introduced. In every single one of our classes, we stressed to the girls that we're not showing them every aspect of every website; if they want to know, they should explore it for themselves which will only enhance their educational process. If all else fails, we gave them more than one way to reach out to all of us (Facebook, Twitter, email, and through this blog) and ask away to their hearts' content even after we're gone.
In both classes, we split up the students into 3 groups, and each one of us explained her group through the steps and introductions of each website. We then decided to spice things up a bit so we played some word games such as word searches, crossword puzzles and hangman just to make sure they understood the lesson. By the end of the class, the tables were turned and the girls were up at the board while we were sitting in their places trying to guess the keywords!
One amazing story of Day 4 (Day 3 of teaching in Kajiado) was that during breaks, the girls ascended onto the Al Bedaya Team and started teaching them Swahili phrases that should keep them going for the next few days. We broke down barriers by being humiliated at ping pong and getting to know more about the Kenyan educational system from the students and the teachers. The most magical moment was, when we were passing by classes, they'd call out to us and urge us to come into their classrooms and have a chat. What ensued was girl talk that has no cultural nor language barrier. It then became apparent that they too wanted to learn about the Al Bedaya website, so when we told them Yalla, they immediately left their seats, went next door and logged onto their computers, straight onto our website awaiting further instructions. When the electricity went out, it was our turn to start asking them deeper questions about their futures, and we knew we were looking at the next movers and shakers of Kenya. As soon as the power was back on, they rose from the ground beside us and sat at their computers to continue what they started before they were so rudely interrupted.
The more we spend time at the school, the more our lives are being changed and touched by every single student, whether they were part of the program or not, and the more we are rest assured that our website will be in good hands here; that even after we leave, they won't forget what we put together for them.
As a formal farewell, the Al Maktoum Foundation generously arranged a dinner at a restaurant in Nairobi which was attended by Professor George Godia, the Education Secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Education, the school's faculty, the support staff, members of the Foundation's supporting organizations, and even the drivers!
Stay on the lookout for a video that covers a portion of today's class - pretty exciting stuff!
We couldn't have worked on a more life-changing and worthwhile project, for it connected us with the girls of the Al Maktoum Secondary School in beautiful Kajiado.
Al Bedaya Team - signing out
It feels like we've been here for months, if not years! We know the roads and sights to and from the school and the girls' greetings every single morning makes us feel at home in the classroom - we take our shoes off at the door, say hi to everyone, drop our gear, grab a booklet and start explaining today's lesson. The lessons change everyday, but what doesn't change is the girls' drive and motivation to put everything aside and just listen to us as we explained a new set of tools for them to explore.
Let's start from Day 4, Wednesday, 18th May.
Today's class revolved around the "Research" category in which Google, Wikipedia, Biography.com, How Stuff Works and Book Boon were introduced. In every single one of our classes, we stressed to the girls that we're not showing them every aspect of every website; if they want to know, they should explore it for themselves which will only enhance their educational process. If all else fails, we gave them more than one way to reach out to all of us (Facebook, Twitter, email, and through this blog) and ask away to their hearts' content even after we're gone.
In both classes, we split up the students into 3 groups, and each one of us explained her group through the steps and introductions of each website. We then decided to spice things up a bit so we played some word games such as word searches, crossword puzzles and hangman just to make sure they understood the lesson. By the end of the class, the tables were turned and the girls were up at the board while we were sitting in their places trying to guess the keywords!
One amazing story of Day 4 (Day 3 of teaching in Kajiado) was that during breaks, the girls ascended onto the Al Bedaya Team and started teaching them Swahili phrases that should keep them going for the next few days. We broke down barriers by being humiliated at ping pong and getting to know more about the Kenyan educational system from the students and the teachers. The most magical moment was, when we were passing by classes, they'd call out to us and urge us to come into their classrooms and have a chat. What ensued was girl talk that has no cultural nor language barrier. It then became apparent that they too wanted to learn about the Al Bedaya website, so when we told them Yalla, they immediately left their seats, went next door and logged onto their computers, straight onto our website awaiting further instructions. When the electricity went out, it was our turn to start asking them deeper questions about their futures, and we knew we were looking at the next movers and shakers of Kenya. As soon as the power was back on, they rose from the ground beside us and sat at their computers to continue what they started before they were so rudely interrupted.
The more we spend time at the school, the more our lives are being changed and touched by every single student, whether they were part of the program or not, and the more we are rest assured that our website will be in good hands here; that even after we leave, they won't forget what we put together for them.
As a formal farewell, the Al Maktoum Foundation generously arranged a dinner at a restaurant in Nairobi which was attended by Professor George Godia, the Education Secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Education, the school's faculty, the support staff, members of the Foundation's supporting organizations, and even the drivers!
Check these pictures out:
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| Undivided attention from the girls |
 |
| A member of the Al Bedaya Team leading her group through the websites |
 |
| One word game all filled out in a matter of minutes! |
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| A formal farewell |
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| Professor George Godia giving a speech |
Stay on the lookout for a video that covers a portion of today's class - pretty exciting stuff!
We couldn't have worked on a more life-changing and worthwhile project, for it connected us with the girls of the Al Maktoum Secondary School in beautiful Kajiado.
Al Bedaya Team - signing out
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